Operative removal of misplaced Greenfield vena caval filters

Operative retrieval has not been necessary in our experience, though interest has been expressed by other surgeons. Specifically, during removal the hooks of the filter may become attached to adjacent structures, making manipulation and eventual extraction difficult. Because the occasion for late removal of a misplaced filter may arise, we have developed this method using readily available materials. We anticipate that this technique will be most useful for removal of filters that have been in place for more than 7 days. A method to retrieve filters in place less than 1 week has already been reported [4]. We have found the technique quite satisfactory in experimental animals.